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cnbc.com
Oil rises as U.S.-Iran tensions keep traders focused on Strait of Hormuz risks
Oil prices rose Thursday, as investors continue to assess the latest developments in the Middle East amid concerns over renewed tensions between Iran and the U.S.
cnbc.com
Japan's Nikkei 225 tops 62,000 for the first time as Asia markets look past Trump’s Iran threats
Asia-Pacific markets jumped, shrugging off renewed tensions in the Middle East.
cnbc.com
Inside India newsletter: Social media is reshaping the world's fastest-growing market for global brands
Social media influencers are urging consumers to read labels and pushing traditional companies to make healthier products or risk being replaced by newer entrants.
cnbc.com
China presses Iran against resuming war, urges Hormuz reopening ahead of Trump-Xi summit
China called for a "prompt resumption of shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz," though that point was absent in Iran's statement.
bbc.com
In 'Musk v Altman', this judge will make the final call
The feud has fuelled a costly showdown between two tech titans.
bbc.com
Gulf economies face long-term hit from Iran conflict
Commentators say it will take years or even decades to repair the damage.
bbc.com
'We had people come just to see it': Amazon delivers its first UK parcels by drone
The unmanned aircraft can drop off 100 parcels a day within a 12km radius of Amazon's hub.
theguardian.com
Shivon Zilis, mother of four of Elon Musk’s children, testifies in OpenAI trial
Zilis, an executive at Musk’s brain implant startup Neuralink, served on OpenAI’s board from 2020 to 2023Shivon Zilis, a Neuralink executive and the mother of four of Elon Musk’s children, took the stand on Wednesday as one of the most highly anticipated witnesses in Musk’s case against OpenAI. The ChatGPT maker has argued that, while Zilis worked with OpenAI from 2016 to 2023, she was also involved in a secret relationship with Musk, acting as an informant for him.Musk’s case against OpenAI alleges that the company’s CEO, Sam Altman, and president, Greg Brockman, co-founders of the company with Musk, broke a founding agreement when they restructured it from a non-profit to a for-profit enterprise. The Tesla CEO accuses Altman and Brockman of unjustly enriching themselves and wants both removed from their positions at the startup, one of the most valuable in the world. He is also seeking the undoing of the for-profit restructuring and $134bn in damages to be redistributed to OpenAI’s non-profit arm. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Anthropic CEO says 80-fold growth in first quarter explains 'difficulties with compute'
At Anthropic's developer conference in San Francisco, CEO Dario Amodei said the company is 'working as quickly as possible' to provide additional compute.
theguardian.com
Three evacuated from hantavirus-hit ship as Spain says vessel can dock
British guide Martin Anstee, 56, among those evacuated from MV Hondius, which is now heading for Canary IslandsExplainer: What is hantavirus?Three people with suspected hantavirus have been medically evacuated from a cruise ship.They include a British man who was an expedition guide onboard the ship, the MV Hondius. He was named on Wednesday evening as Martin Anstee, 56. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Uber pops 8% as company issues higher-than-expected bookings guidance
Uber said its net income took a $1.5 billion hit in the first quarter of 2026 due to the revaluation of the company's equity investments.
theguardian.com
Fertiliser shortages will have ‘dramatic’ effect on global food prices, warns farming boss
Powerful property and farming firm Grosvenor Group says knock-on effect of Iran war could arrive next yearFertiliser shortages caused by the Iran war have driven up costs for UK farmers by up to 70% and will have a “dramatic” impact on food prices globally next year, according to one of Britain’s most powerful property and farming companies.Mark Preston, executive trustee of the 349-year-old Grosvenor Group, controlled by the Duke of Westminster, said fertiliser “was already quite expensive” before the 50% to 70% surge in prices since the start of the Iran war in late February. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Trump says Iran will be bombed at a 'much higher level' if it doesn't agree to peace deal
Stocks rose and oil prices plunged on news reports signaling the U.S. and Iran could soon strike an agreement to end the war.
cnbc.com
Iran war threatens jet fuel shortage that could disrupt summer travel in Asia and Europe
Oil executives have warned that the supply disruption in the Middle East will soon cause actual fuel shortages in some parts of the world.
cnbc.com
Apollo CEO Rowan warns of market correction, slams 'egregious' practices at rival insurers
Apollo CEO Marc Rowan warned that markets face an elevated risk of unexpected shocks, saying he is positioning the firm defensively for an expected correction.
cnbc.com
Nvidia to invest up to $3.2 billion in Corning as part of massive optical fiber deal with 3 new factories focused on AI
Corning is opening three new advanced manufacturing plants in the U.S. dedicated entirely to optical technologies for Nvidia.
bbc.com
Former OpenAI board member says Elon Musk offered her sperm donations
Shivon Zilis is the mother of four of Musk's children. That relationship began as she advised OpenAI.
cnbc.com
Uber and Disney are seeing the same remarkable dynamic in this economy. Both stocks are surging
Uber and Disney pointed to a resilient spending backdrop, with consumers continuing to shell out for rides, food delivery, vacations and theme park trips.
cnbc.com
AMD's Su explains what's behind massive forecast change as stock roars 19% on earnings
CEO Lisa Su highlighted the growing demand for central processing units, doubling her long-term forecast after strong first-quarter earnings.
cnbc.com
Anthropic, SpaceX announce compute deal that includes space development
Anthropic has signed a deal with SpaceX, which owns rival xAI, to use all of the compute capacity at the company’s Colossus 1 data center in Memphis, Tennessee.
cnbc.com
Airlines spent 56.4% more on jet fuel in month after Iran war started, U.S. government says
U.S. airlines spent 56.4% more on jet fuel in March than they did in February, U.S. government data released Wednesday shows.
cnbc.com
Novo Nordisk CEO says the drugmaker is more active than ever in seeking out deals
Novo Nordisk CEO Mike Doustdar says the Ozempic and Wegovy maker is looking for deals more than ever before.
cnbc.com
CVS blows past estimates, hikes outlook as insurance business outperforms
All of the healthcare giant's business segments, including its insurer Aetna, its retail pharmacy and health services unit, surpassed expectations.
bbc.com
Hedge fund founder hits back at Mamdani's 'creepy' wealth tax video
Ken Griffin said Mamdani's video, filmed outside his apartment, raised safety concerns.
theguardian.com
Trainline says Middle East tensions hitting European rail bookings
Profits jump to £122m at ticketing retailer but it expects flat or declining revenues over the coming year Business live – latest updatesTrainline has said the US standoff with Iran is hitting its revenues, with rail ticket sales to foreign visitors to Europe affected.The UK-based international ticketing agent said it expected revenues to stay flat or decline over the coming year, citing “the effects of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East on inbound air traffic into Europe”. Continue reading...
bbc.com
People urged not to cancel flights over fuel shortage fears
Airlines have cut 13,000 flights globally in May as jet fuel prices soar due to the conflict in the Middle East.
bbc.com
Oil prices drop and stock markets rise after reports of deal to end Iran war
Reports have raised hopes of an agreement between the US and Iran after days of escalation.
cnbc.com
European stocks close higher amid growing optimism for U.S.-Iran peace deal
European stocks soared on Wednesday as traders responded to reports that the U.S. and Iran are close to an agreement that will bring an end to the war.
cnbc.com
Wegovy pill sales smash forecasts, sending Novo Nordisk stock higher
Novo Nordisk raised its outlook for 2026 after a strong performance from its newly launched Wegovy pill.
theguardian.com
Another day, another pivot as Trump flails in an Iran trap of his own making
Latest proposal, derided by Tehran as a ‘wishlist’, could yet be a way out – but with 5,000 dead, it comes at an awful priceMiddle East crisis – live updatesAnother day, another hairpin turn in the world of Donald Trump’s foreign policy.The weekend was all about war, and Trump insisting Iran had not yet “paid a big enough price”. Tuesday was Project Freedom, styled as a grand “humanitarian gesture” to allow trapped ships and their crews to escape the Gulf, but also aimed at weakening Iran’s chokehold on the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
FDA withdrew studies finding Covid and shingles vaccines were safe
The studies were "withdrawn because the authors drew broad conclusions that were not supported by the underlying data," the spokesperson told CNBC.
bbc.com
Up to 150 former WHSmith high street stores to close
The stores were purchased by Modella Capital last year, and then rebranded under the name TGJones.
cnbc.com
AMD's stock soars 16% as data center growth pushes revenue and guidance past estimates
AMD's earnings report lands as investors rush into the stock on optimism that the AI boom is just getting started.
cnbc.com
Private payrolls rose by 109,000 in April, topping expectations, ADP says
The report provided more evidence of a stable labor market and less incentive for the Fed to lower interest rates.
theguardian.com
Up to 150 former WH Smith stores face closure, putting thousands of jobs at risk
Modella Capital, which rebranded shops as TG Jones, unveils radical restructuring plan, including rent holidaysUp to 150 former WH Smith stores are likely to close, putting thousands of jobs at risk under a radical restructuring plan by their new owner, which had rebranded the shops as TG Jones.The investment company Modella Capital, which bought WH Smith’s chain of 480 high street stores for £76m last year, blamed “weak consumer spending” as it set out the plan to landlords on Wednesday. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
From jewelers to health tech, CEOs want tariff refunds as earnings take a hit
Philips and Pandora on Wednesday announced their intentions to apply for tariff rebates in the aftermath of President Trump's "liberation day" blitz.
theguardian.com
Airlines among companies using fuel surcharges to cover surge in costs, UK survey shows
Firms raising prices at fastest rate in three years, driven by soaring energy and wage bills but also extra materials costsBusiness live – latest updatesOil prices fall as Trump hails ‘progress’ on Iran dealAirlines and other companies are increasingly using fuel surcharges to cover soaring costs, a survey has found, in a further sign of Iran war-linked inflation hitting the economy.A poll of companies in the services sector, which includes airlines, found rising fuel prices had contributed to businesses raising prices at the fastest pace in more than three years in April. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Why did Paddington Bear need a police escort?
Rav Wilding joins us with the latest crime headlines. From a shocking BBC investigation exposing scammers abusing dogs to con animal lovers, to how to spot a shop used by organised crime — plus why Paddington Bear needed a police escort
bbc.com
Which airlines are cancelling flights to the UK - and what can you do?
Airlines are putting up prices and cancelling flights in response to higher jet fuel prices.
theguardian.com
JD Wetherspoon issues third profit warning this year as costs climb
Chair Tim Martin says pub chain could miss expectations, in latest sign UK hospitality sector buckling under higher billsBusiness live – latest updatesThe boss of JD Wetherspoon has said the pub chain could miss profit expectations because of rising costs, in the latest sign the UK hospitality industry is buckling under the pressure of higher energy, food, labour and tax bills.The company’s chair, Tim Martin, told investors on Wednesday: “As many hospitality operators, including Wetherspoon, have reported, there have been substantial increases in costs.” Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Cut borrowing costs for poorer countries to free up $900bn for development – report
G77 nations spend $8tn a year servicing debts, but analysis shows how comprehensive relief could benefit social spendingCutting debt servicing costs for the world’s poorest countries could free up $900bn (£660bn) a year for development, a new report to the UN secretary general has claimed.Prepared by advocacy group Development Finance International (DFI) and launched in Oslo today, the analysis warned that the world is facing “the worst ever debt-provoked development crisis”. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Campaigners call for ban on use of weedkiller glyphosate at harvest time
Campaigners are calling for a ban on the use of the weedkiller over health concerns.
theguardian.com
Nine dollars for a Starbucks is an ‘affordable luxury’? CEOs need to wake up and smell the coffee | Arwa Mahdawi
The head honcho thinks splurging nearly $10 on a beverage during a cost-of-living crisis is fine for a ‘special experience’. It’s time to offer my own valuable adviceI don’t mean to vent, but what is up with Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol’s obscenely large compensation package? Niccol, who joined the company in 2024, is one of the best-paid executives in the US, raking in $96m (£70m) in just his first four months on the job. The man makes 6,666 times more than the company’s typical employee, according to a 2025 Executive Paywatch report. He also regularly commutes to work via private jet. Can’t expect a strategic genius to live next to the office like the rest of the hoi polloi.Still, while he might be good at flogging drinks, Niccol apparently has trouble reading a room. As the cost of living surges, and the federal minimum wage remains at $7.25, the CEO is getting roasted for calling a $9 coffee “a really affordable premium experience”. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Niccol noted that the K-shaped economy, in which higher-income households are thriving and splurging while the bottom half struggles, isn’t really affecting business. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
How car-loving American cities fell so far behind their global peers on public transit
With most major European cities well-served by trains and buses, bringing US transit up to par would cost $4.6tnThe only train station in Houston, the US’s fourth-largest city and one of the fastest-growing conurbations in the country, is a diminished, morose sight. Intercity trains arrive at this squat, shed-like Amtrak building, which cringes in the shadows of roaring highways, just three times a week.That such a meager train station could ostensibly serve a metropolitan area of about 7 million people is a stark symbol of how the sprawling, car-dominated US has fallen behind cities around the world where people can rely on extensive, high-quality public transport to get around. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
UK regulator launches review of ‘aggressive’ claims management firms amid compensation concerns
FCA focuses on marketing, misleading ads, unfair exit fees and people being signed up without their permissionThe City regulator has launched a review of claims management companies amid concerns that firms are misleading victims of financial scandals, such as car finance, about their compensation.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said some companies were pursuing “aggressive marketing, misleading advertising and unfair exit fees”. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Next to hike prices by up to 8% outside Europe due to Iran war costs
No extra price rises are slated for the UK, which saw better than expected sales in the first quarter.
cnbc.com
Lufthansa faces nearly $2 billion in extra fuel cost amid the Iran war, after axing 20,000 flights
Germany's largest airline, Lufthansa, is taking on additional fuel costs as the Middle East conflict poses 'enormous challenges.'
theguardian.com
Ryanair boss calls for ban on early-morning airport drinks as bad behaviour rises
Michael O’Leary says his airline has to divert one flight a day on average because of disruption from passengersA bleary-eyed pint at an airport bar before an early morning flight is a travel tradition for many Britons, but it may become a thing of the past if Ryanair’s boss, Michael O’Leary, gets his way.The airline’s chief executive, no stranger to courting controversy, has said airports should be banned from serving alcohol to passengers before early flights in order to reduce the number of disruptive passengers on planes. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Private credit’s $2 trillion boom raises global stability fears, watchdog warns
The Financial Stability Board wants regulators to tighten up their supervision of private credit amid fears of growing stress in the sector.
bbc.com
'I thought he was going to hit me,' OpenAI co-founder says of Musk
OpenAI president Greg Brockman spoke during the second week of a month-long trial between Elon Musk and OpenAI's Sam Altman.
theguardian.com
‘Our competitors are everyone’: Joybuy leads ‘China’s Amazon’ into the UK
Taking on its US rival in Britain is expected to lead to ‘collateral damage’ for UK retailers“We’re here to shake up the UK e-commerce market,” says Matthew Nobbs, the UK boss of Joybuy which is spearheading a European charge by China’s version of Amazon.“I see our competitors as everyone,” he adds, reflecting the scale of ambition of the online retailer that sells home appliances, groceries, makeup and more. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
CNBC's UK Exchange newsletter: It's not the 1970s, but the oil shock is still biting hard
In theory, the U.K. should be less exposed to the impact of higher energy prices than some peers. In practice, the price surge is having a dire impact.
theguardian.com
‘RAMageddon’: is the era of cheap phones and laptops over?
Bargains are disappearing and the cost of gadgets such as MacBooks and PS5s is rising as AI competes for memory chipsThe end of the cheap laptop, the bargain phone and affordable games consoles may be on the horizon. Not because new models are more hi-tech, but because the cost of computer components has shot up.Recently, the biggest manufacturers of laptops and phones, including Microsoft, Samsung and Dell, started putting up prices and pulling cheaper models – which is going to make finding budget phones and laptops under £400 much harder. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Global finance watchdog warns over private credit industry fuelling AI boom
Financial Stability Board report reveals tech, healthcare and services sectors as the biggest borrowersThe private credit industry’s role in fuelling the AI boom could backfire, with a sharp correction leading to “sizeable” losses, the Financial Stability Board has warned.A new report on private credit by the global watchdog, which monitors financial authorities including central banks in 24 countries, found that the healthcare, services, and tech sectors have become the biggest borrowers of private credit. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
CNBC Daily Open: Kospi bull run rolls on
South Korea's Kospi surges to a new peak as a rally in Samsung shares takes the chip giant's markets capitalization above $1 trillion.
bbc.com
Border politics - how similar jobs in the same firm deliver different tax bills
Workers in southern Scotland can find themselves paying more tax than colleagues who live south of the border.
bbc.com
'I have to make my own dog food' - voters counting living costs on eve of election
India Lerigo makes her own dog food and batch cooks a month's worth of meals over a weekend to save money.
bbc.com
The baby bank helping struggling parents cope
Little Village says it is helping nearly one third more families in need than in previous years.
cnbc.com
In the global AI race, a sanctioned Chinese firm says cheaper models can still win
As China’s AI competition intensifies, SenseTime is shifting toward multimodal AI, lower-cost models and overseas expansion to remain competitive, co-founder Lin Dahua said.
bbc.com
Cathedral to help run food share scheme in city
Hereford Cathedral says it will provide operational support to help the "incredible volunteers".
theguardian.com
Totally grounded? How the jet fuel crisis could change our holidays – and world history
Jet fuel has doubled in price since the start of the war on Iran. How bad will the disruption get and could this accelerate the route to jet zero?What happens to flights if the world runs out of oil? Well, obviously they will be grounded. To be more specific, is it possible, if the war in Iran does not resolve and the strait of Hormuz remains blocked, that airlines will simply run out of aviation fuel?It’s not a question anyone has had to ask before. Air travel has hit some hurdles this century that nobody could have seen coming – Covid, of course, but also the Icelandic volcano in 2010, which closed much of European airspace for eight days, cost an estimated €3.75bn (£3.2bn) and caused untold supply chain chaos. There have been problems contained within a country or region – the Heathrow substation outage and the Iberian energy crisis, both last year, both closing airports – but since air travel began, it has never been globally impeded by a fuel shortage. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Trump and his oil-and-coal oligarchy should face sanctions for their war on the environment | Alexander Hurst
Europe punished Russian billionaires over the war in Ukraine. It should do the same to those abetting an ecocidal regimeThe ecological disasters of the US-Israel war with Iran are already bad enough. The noxious smoke from bombed oil facilities, spills in the Gulf’s waters, the contamination of farmland and groundwater with toxic chemicals unleashed by explosions and their debris, the millions of additional tons of CO2 spewed into the atmosphere. But as bad as it is, the Iran war hides another conflict: the ecological war that Donald Trump’s US is waging against the rest of the world.When the EU and UK imposed individual sanctions, travel bans and asset seizures on Russian oligarchs, it wasn’t because most of them were individually responsible for Vladimir Putin’s colonial war of aggression against Ukraine. They were targeted because, as a class, they were viewed by many as inextricable from the apparatus of corruption and levers of power of the Russian state threatening global stability.Alexander Hurst writes for Guardian Europe from Paris. His memoir Generation Desperation is out now Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Is Europe ready for a future without the US? – podcast
Trump has threatened to pull 5,000 troops from Germany – while European leaders worry this is just the start of a US withdrawal from the continent. Deborah Cole reportsLandstuhl is a unique place: a small town in the south-west of Germany, it is also very American.There are American fast food joints, nail salons flying the US flag … and it has, says the Guardian’s Berlin correspondent, been welcoming the US army since it marched into the nearby city of Kaiserslautern in spring 1945. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Apple to pay up to $95 to some US iPhone buyers over AI lawsuit
Claims from last year said the tech firm’s advertising of Apple Intelligence fooled iPhone buyers.
theguardian.com
As Ukraine seeks to edge China out of its drone supply chain, Taiwan emerges as a quiet player
Taiwan’s reputation for tech excellence means it is a favoured alternative source for Ukrainian drone-makersOver the four years that Ukraine has been fighting to repel Russian forces from its territory, its country’s battlefields have become scarred by airstrikes, pockmarked by artillery fire, and littered with the wreckage of cheap aerial drones.The conflict has transformed the economics of modern warfare – with both sides now reliant on these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to monitor the battlefield, evade defences and strike deep into enemy territory. The fighting has so far kept Russia bogged down, trapped behind frozen frontlines, allowing Kyiv to remake the country’s industrial base to meet the needs of the war. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Trump pauses U.S. bid to guide ships out of Strait of Hormuz, cites Iran deal progress
President Donald Trump said he is pausing "Project Freedom," the U.S. military's bid to guide commercial ships out of the Strait of Hormuz.
theguardian.com
Apple agrees to pay $250m over claims it misled buyers on Siri’s AI features
Settlement, which includes no admission of wrongdoing, covers roughly 36m eligible devices in class-action lawsuitApple on Tuesday agreed to pay $250m to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing it of misleading millions of iPhone buyers by falsely touting artificial intelligence capabilities for its Siri voice assistant in late 2024.Plaintiffs accused the California tech company of having “promoted AI capabilities that did not exist at the time, do not exist now, and will not exist for two or more years” in order to boost iPhone sales, according to the suit. Apple’s more “personalized” version of Siri still has not been fully released despite its announcement nearly two years ago. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Reinstate windfall tax on banks after surge in profits, TUC urges
Unions group wants rate returned from 3% to 8% after big four UK lenders reveal £14bn total profit in first quarter An increased windfall tax should be imposed on the UK’s largest banks according to trade union leaders, after the big four lenders reported almost £14bn in first-quarter profits, partly fuelled by market turbulence caused by the Iran war.The Trades Union Congress (TUC) renewed its call for an increase in the current bank surcharge, which was reduced from 8% to 3% of profits above £100m by the Conservative government in 2023, as banks benefit from the high interest rate environment. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Lawsuit claims New York Times didn’t promote white male editor because of race or sex
US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission files suit claiming newspaper passed over employee due to ‘diversity aspirations’In what appears to be a new front in the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against the media, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the New York Times, charging that the news organization improperly passed over a white, male employee for promotion because of his race or sex.The employee believed he had been passed over for a promotion to deputy real estate editor, a position that had been listed in January 2025, despite believing himself to be a “significantly” more qualified candidate. Continue reading...
bbc.com
US to safety test new AI models from Google, Microsoft, xAI
New agreements between the companies and the Commerce department build on Biden-era pacts.
theguardian.com
MV Hondius: the ice-breaking expedition cruise hit with hantavirus cases
Polar explorer vessel stuck off coast of Cape Verde usually carries passengers to remote and nature-rich areasWhat is hantavirus, the infection thought to have killed three on cruise ship?With a fortified hull that can break through ice, the MV Hondius – the scene of a suspected hantavirus outbreak – is not the average cruise ship. The 107-metre polar explorer vessel is small, nimble and made for touring the natural wonders of Arctic and Antarctic waters.In place of the amusement arcades, ballrooms and deck-top waterparks that may be found on larger vessels, such as those where thousands became marooned during the Covid pandemic, the Hondius has an open observation lounge and lecture room in which biologists, geologists and glaciologists give lectures. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
The Guardian view on the Renters’ Rights Act: finally, protections fit for the modern housing market | Editorial
The rising number of private renters in Britain have for too long put up with chronically insecure tenancy agreements and poor conditionsThe defining trend in British housing in recent decades has been towards private renting. The sector in England nearly doubled in size between 2004 and 2013. By 2023 almost two-fifths of households were either renting privately or socially. Meanwhile, the dream of home ownership has steadily eroded: 39% of 25- to 34-year-olds owned their home in 2023, 20 percentage points lower than the peak (59%) in 2000. Many younger adults now rent from a private landlord as the default, and expect to do so for the rest of their lives.Which is why the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act is important. Until last week, landlords could evict a tenant for requesting a reasonable repair, or challenging a rent hike. A poll in 2023 for the charity Shelter found that tenants who complained to their landlord or local authority were 159% more likely to be served a no-fault eviction notice than those who did not. The fear was that complaints could cost tenants their homes. It was customary for landlords to pre-emptively evict tenants if they wanted to raise rents.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Stock markets are wobbling, but £10bn cash bids at fat premiums can still happen
A Swedish firm’s pursuit of the product testing company Intertek suggests investors’ price expectations are yet to be shifted by the Iran warIt was a bad day for the FTSE 100 index on Tuesday – down 1.4% – but the puzzle in many quarters is why share prices haven’t fallen further since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran. The index is still up by a couple of percentage points since new year, which is not a bet most would have made at the time if they had been told an inflationary energy price shock lay around the corner.An absence of Iran-related corporate profits warnings partly explains the relative resilience, even if those usually take a while to arrive. So, too, the fact that the Footsie is overpopulated with overseas earners for whom the US economy, which isn’t suffering Europe’s soaring natural gas prices, matters more than their home market. And higher oil prices obviously help the likes of Shell and BP. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Lidl's new loyalty scheme less generous, shoppers say
Under the changed system customers collect points rather than reward coupons, with £1 spent equalling one point.
bbc.com
UK long-term borrowing costs reach 28-year high
There have been extra jitters in UK government debt markets ahead of Thursday's local and national elections.
theguardian.com
Tell us: are you caught up in the NS&I lost funds issue?
If you’re affected by the National Savings and Investments lost funds scandal, we would like to hear from youThis month the state-backed National Savings and Investments (NS&I) bank will share its plan to reunite thousands of bereaved families with their missing money.In March it emerged that 37,500 people faced delays because of problems tracing the premium bonds of deceased customers. The families are collectively owed nearly £500m. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Nissan to close UK line and cut 900 European jobs
Nissan says it is considering working with a third party to fully utilise its Sunderland plant.
theguardian.com
UK homebuyers face worst mortgage affordability since 2008, data shows
‘Least affordable’ areas mainly in London commuter belt, UK Finance finds, with Iran war not yet reflected in dataBusiness live – latest updatesUK homebuyers are facing the worst mortgage affordability pressures for almost two decades, although the “pain” is not being felt equally across the country, according to industry data.The banking body UK Finance said that at a nationwide level, initial mortgage repayments were typically swallowing up more than a fifth (21.3%) of a homebuyer’s gross income – the highest level since 2008. Continue reading...
bbc.com
What's happening to UK petrol and diesel prices?
Motoring group RAC has said prices at the pump could keep rising if there is no resolution to the Iran war.
bbc.com
Gap co-founder Doris Fisher dies aged 94
She opened the first store with her husband Don in 1969, with the company calling her "a pioneering force in American retail".
theguardian.com
Reform UK’s immigration policies are a significant risk to the UK economy | Sushil Wadhwani
An exodus of workers will be damaging – and electoral change might help Britain escape instability and low growthWhile all eyes are on the Middle East and the risk of a global recession, a possible scenario with significant downside risk for the UK economy after the next general election is building: the impact of anti-immigration policies.We do not know enough about the actual policy changes a Reform UK-led government would impose, but if we get forced repatriation (including of some who were born in Britain) combined with a climate of fear, the economic disruption could be highly significant. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Time limits, curfews or a full ban: how UK may restrict social media for under-16s
Ministers have committed to changing rules for children, but how this will take shape is still up for debateThe UK government committed last week to either implementing a ban on under-16s accessing social media or imposing restrictions on children’s use of those platforms.A consultation is already under way on whether to impose limits and the announcement confirms that curbs will be introduced. Here are some of the restrictions that could be brought in. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Why are there so many vape shops on our high streets?
New research has shown a 28% growth in shops selling vape products in Scottish towns and cities.
theguardian.com
RBA governor announces cash rate hike and warns more interest rate rises could come – video
Michele Bullock says more interest rate rises may be needed after the third interest rate hike in 2026 bringing the offical cash rate to 4.35%. The Reserve Bank governor says rate hikes to date won’t be able to stop fuel prices from driving up inflation and are instead aimed at cutting spending to stop broader prices from rising after the oil price spike endsRBA interest rates: Reserve Bank hikes official cash rate to 4.35% in blow to mortgage holders Continue reading...
theguardian.com
‘There is a good deal of fear’: what would a Labour leadership challenge mean for bond markets?
Rayner and Burnham are trying to gain markets’ confidence amid concerns they could loosen fiscal rules if they replace StarmerWho calls the shots on the bin collections in Sunderland, potholes in Hackney, or schools in Cardiff is not normally of interest to City traders in the multitrillion-pound sovereign bond market.But for those dealing in UK government debt, Thursday’s local and devolved government elections are significantly more important than usual, amid speculation that a dire showing for Keir Starmer’s Labour party could topple him as prime minister. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
I got £8,500 in Ulez fines after my car number plate was cloned
I’ve received 77 unpaid PCNs from TfL but it won’t accept they weren’t from my vehicleSomeone cloned my car number plate back in October and racked up £8,500 in Ulez fines. I appealed, but this was rejected.Unfortunately, the cloned car is the same make, model and colour as mine. I’ve now received 17 “order for recovery of unpaid penalty charge” notices from Transport for London (TfL). The bailiffs will arrive next week, according to their letters. Continue reading...
bbc.com
'Vodafone sold us a dream - the reality was something different'
Two women from Lincolnshire are among 62 former franchisees taking the phone company to court.
theguardian.com
Reversing Thatcher’s failed legacy of privatisation can be a Labour vote-winner. If you see Keir, tell him | Julian Coman
Andy Burnham’s Manchesterism project is still a work in progress. But the future of centre-left politics in Britain may rely on its promise of ‘rolling back the 80s’ In the summer of 1987, as life in Britain was being steadily reshaped by Margaret Thatcher, I landed a temporary job as an electrician’s mate in a steel-drum factory. I was a truly useless assistant, and justified my existence by singing songs to entertain my boss as he worked. As I recall, by the time I left Stuart had come round to quite liking Bob Dylan, but still had no time for the gothic gloominess of the early Cure.While I handed him tools he didn’t need, and failed to locate the ones he did, we occasionally talked about politics. Stuart was a gentle man in his mid-20s, already married and hoping to buy a house. He was also, it turned out, a cautious believer in Thatcher’s promise of a “people’s capitalism” in which working people would get a piece of the action. Prior to my coming to “help” him, he was one of the millions who had responded to the previous year’s Tell Sid ad campaign and bought shares in newly privatised British Gas. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
‘Historic breakthrough’: could the fossil fuel era be coming to an end? – podcast
The transition towards renewable energy received a boost last week when representatives from 57 countries met in Santa Marta, Colombia, for a world-first climate meeting aimed at bringing the fossil fuels era to an end. Madeleine Finlay hears from the Guardian’s global environment editor, Jon Watts, about how the landmark conference came about, who was missing, and whether the optimism can translate into real world actionCould Santa Marta climate talks mark ground zero in push to ditch fossil fuels?Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...
theguardian.com
‘Nobody’s going out!’ Why is Britain’s nightlife in such decline – and can anything save it?
One in four late-night venues went out of business between 2020 and 2025. Those that remain are struggling to pull in customers. Maybe a night out in Birminghan will reveal whyThe £5 entry is a good start. So is the loud, lively music booming down the nightclub’s stairway. But when I finally reach the dancefloor, hidden behind a curtain, my hopes for a wild night out in Birmingham are dashed. Despite the roving disco lights and blaring pop bangers, it is entirely empty, aside from a few bartenders milling around, tending to no one.This isn’t 9pm on a random Tuesday. I am hitting the town on Saturday night, when the city’s bars and clubs should be in full swing, but Birmingham is looking like a bust. Continue reading...
bbc.com
British pubs closing at a rate of almost two per day in 2026
The British Beer and Pub Association says 161 pubs have closed in the first three months of this year.
bbc.com
Robots move in as waste firms struggle to find staff
Humanoid robots are being added to the automation of waste sorting.
cnbc.com
World Cup prize pool nears $900 million as FIFA boosts payouts. Here’s who gets what
FIFA's upcoming World Cup is set to be the most lucrative on-record, with a 'record breaking' prize pool on offer, as FIFA shrugs off other controversies.
theguardian.com
Why the Bezos-backed Met Gala is so controversial | The Latest
It's the grandest and glitziest event in the fashion calendar, but this year’s Met Gala has sparked backlash thanks to its new honorary chairs, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos. The billionaire Amazon founder’s involvement has led to boycotts and criticism of the event. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s fashion and lifestyle editor, Morwenna Ferrier Continue reading...
bbc.com
GameStop makes $55.5bn takeover offer for eBay
GameStop's boss Ryan Cohen says he sees potential to make eBay a much bigger rival to Amazon.
bbc.com
US denies Iranian report warship was struck by missiles
It comes as the US said on Monday it will begin to help "guide" vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz.
theguardian.com
How can care homes charge fees after a death?
Charges set out in a new contract for Aver Healthcare’s homes appear to contradict advice from the regulatorI hold power of attorney for my aunt who is in a care home run by Avery Healthcare. Avery recently sent relatives its new contract, which states that care home fees are payable for 14 days after a resident’s death, and levies an upfront £595 charge for “dilapidations” (damage or wear and tear).These charges contradict advice given by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and are probably unenforceable. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
The nuclear option: Atomic energy could offer Europe hope, say analysts — but it won't be easy
The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route, has exposed which nations are most exposed to disrupted energy imports.
bbc.com
Samsung family pays off record $8bn inheritance tax bill
The bill is tied to the estate left by the firm's late chairman Lee Kun-hee, who died in October 2020.
bbc.com
Amsterdam bans public adverts for meat and fossil fuels
Local politicians say the move is in line with the Dutch capital's environmental targets.
bbc.com
The threat to summer holidays looming from jet fuel shortages
What impact might shortages have on our summer holidays - and what could be done about it?
theguardian.com
Guilty until proven innocent: shoppers falsely identified by facial recognition system struggle to clear their names
People shamed and ordered to leave shops after being misidentified then ‘given no help’ to investigate verdictsAI facial recognition oversight lagging far behind technology, watchdogs warnHow does live facial recognition work and how many police forces use it? When Ian Clayton, a retired health and safety professional from Chester, popped into Home Bargains one February lunchtime, he was suddenly approached by a stern-looking member of staff.“Excuse me, can you please put everything down and leave the shop now?” she said. Clayton recalled how he was stunned, and it was only as he was briskly walked past the tills towards the exit that he stopped to ask what he had done. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Investment or waste? How the M4 relief road plan for Newport sums up Wales’s economic quandary
As potentially seismic Senedd elections loom, competing parties have differing visions of how to reinvigorate the economyIt is afternoon rush hour on the M4 and drivers are yet again making slow progress around the city of Newport, often seen as the gateway to south Wales given its location between Cardiff and Bristol.Cars and lorries are stuck in gridlocked traffic in both directions on the approach to the Brynglas tunnels, where the road narrows to two lanes in each direction, while flashing lights warn motorists in Welsh and English of a ciw (queue). Continue reading...
bbc.com
Airlines can cancel flights in advance over fuel shortages under new plans
Ministers hope move would help avoid last-minute flight cancellations for passengers this summer over Middle East fuel supplies.
bbc.com
Struggling High Streets fuel sense of neglect for voters ahead of local elections
Failing High Streets fuel a wider sense of political discontent which could prove crucial in the upcoming elections for English councils in May.
bbc.com
Will AI lead to more accurate opinion polls?
It's cheaper and faster to collect people's opinions using AI, but will it make polls more accurate?
bbc.com
The kelp producer who wants to get Americans eating seaweed
Marine farmer Suzie Flores also hopes the crop can revitalise the US's small fishing towns.
bbc.com
Why has the UAE left Opec - and why does this matter?
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is quitting oil cartel Opec after nearly 60 years of membership.
bbc.com
What do shoppers think about the future of their high street?
Freshney Place is being renovated to include a new food hall and five-screen cinema.
bbc.com
Why Spotify has no button to filter out AI music
Music streamer Deezer allows users to filter out AI music, so why does Spotify not offer the same?
bbc.com
How climate change threatens the economic backbone of the Pacific
Tuna populations around the Pacific Islands could move away as ocean temperatures increase.
bbc.com
From scientist to silk farmer: India's silk industry renewal
Silk production is an increasingly high-tech business in India.
bbc.com
What the Warner Bros deal could mean for streaming, cinemas and news
If Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros goes ahead it could significantly reshape Hollywood.
bbc.com
How a pivot to hair accessories led to business success
Jenny Lennick's colourful hair clips are sold across the US and around the world.
bbc.com
The 'dumb machine' promising a clean energy breakthrough
A stellarator is difficult to build, but could it be the best way to make fusion energy work?
bbc.com
Scammers are becoming ever more sophisticated - this is what the fightback looks like
Scams have exploded over the last few years. Can countries and companies come together to turn the tables on the scammers?
bbc.com
The £5.30 orange juice that tells the story of why supermarket prices are sky high
Butter, chocolate, coffee and milk have all seen prices rocket. Tracing back through the story of one particular supermarket staple begins to explain why
bbc.com
Prepare for turbulence - how a prolonged Middle East conflict could reshape how we fly
The Gulf's hub airports made long-distance travel cheaper - but now their future looks unclear.
bbc.com
Sir John Curtice: Why Labour's Brexit focus has shifted from Leavers to Remainers
Will the pursuit of a closer relationship with the EU risk courting electoral disaster by alienating Brexit-backing voters?
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